Welcome Spring with Kocabağ Emir Narince
Even if the weather doesn’t know it, we are barreling toward spring’s warmer weather. That means it’s time to ease into cheerful and easy sipping white wines! But what if you can’t decide between Turkey’s two most popular (native) grapes, Emir and Narince? Drink a wine with both like Kocabağ Emir Narince!
I’m a huge fan of the Kocabağ K Emir so, a while back when I was ordering wine from them, I thought, hey, let’s throw in a bottle of this Emir Narince blend!
Kocabağ Emir Narince, 2021
Kocabağ’s Emir comes from its vineyards around Cappadocia but my guess is they bring the Narince in from Tokat. Nothing fancy here with the winemaking (not that there needs to be!). Grapes fermented separately in stainless steel before blending and bottling. There was no malolactic fermentation or oak ageing.
Cool lemon-lime color in the glass with flavors of green plum, green apple, melon, and a waft of white flowers. Sipping revealed a medium-bodied wine soft acidity and 12% ABV. Flavors largely reflected the hints from the nose. I found this was definitely a better food wine than a solo sipper. It went very well with seared, lemony salmon and roasted asparagus.
In the end, this isn’t going to rock anyone’s world but it was a decent wine for the price.
Please Help Turkey and Syria!
Turkey and Syria are still in desperate need of help after the horrific earthquakes that have decimated large areas of Turkey’s south east and northern Syria, please consider donating to one of the relief efforts if you are able:
Animal rights organization Haytap is helping animals affected by the earthquake, and displaced people who need a place to stay with their pets. Other animal-focused groups such as Dört Ayaklı Şehir (Four-Legged City) and Work Animals Rescue Foundation, are also helping farm animals, street animals, and pets.
Donate to civil society groups working on the ground to provide immediate relief and medium- to long-term recovery to survivors via UK-based Turkey Mozaik Foundation or US-based Turkish Philanthropy Funds.
World Central Kitchen provides funds and food to those still living in tents in the affected areas.
To support rescue efforts in Syria, donate to White Helmet and SAMS.
Field Ready Türkiye (Sahaya Hazır İnovasyon Derneği) is a team of engineers working in Gaziantep, Turkey, and northwest Syria who make cheap, low-tech airbags for search and rescue from buildings which have collapsed. “If we move fast they can make more,” a good friend who previously worked with the team writes. “The workshops in Syria also have vast experience of fixing essential medical equipment, and making insulated shelters – both greatly needed right now”